Two Irvington roommates are accused of using a stolen vehicle to go to Hartsdale, New York, where they broke into a jewelry store with sledgehammers and stole nearly $1.7 million worth of jewelry.
Kevin Williams, 26, and Byron Wilson, 24, both of Irvington, have been charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery, each sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to Matthew Podolsky, the acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. Williams and Wilson were arrested on March 25.
“Armed with sledgehammers, the defendants smashed their way in and then plundered the store of about $1.7 million in jewelry, diamonds, and luxury watches, all while innocent customers and employees hid for their safety,” Podolsky said.
The alleged incident happened on December 16. Williams, Wilson, and other conspirators drove a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee with a stolen license plate from New Jersey to New York.
Around 11:07 a.m., they arrived at a jewelry store in Hartsdale’s Westchester Square retail complex, parked in front, got out of the car, and sledgehammered their way inside, according to police.
Once inside, the bandits broke jewelry display cases and stole jewelry, diamonds, and expensive watches as customers fled in terror.
They loaded the stuff into the bags they had brought with them. More than 70 Rolex watches were among the stolen items, according to authorities.
The group returned to their vehicle with the stolen goods and drove back to New Jersey, authorities said.
When they landed in New Jersey, Williams drove to the Diamond District in New York City, while Wilson returned to their joint home. A few hours later, Williams, Wilson, and their co-conspirators photographed themselves carrying big amounts of cash.
Since August 2024, the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island has been looking into a spate of jewelry store robberies. As part of their investigation, law enforcement investigators discovered GPS location data indicating that phones associated with certain numbers—which ultimately turned out to match phone numbers possessed by Williams and Wilson—were in the vicinity of several of these robberies.
The subsequent investigation into the Hartsdale robbery revealed that Williams’s and Wilson’s cell phone numbers traveled from the area of their Irvington residence to the jewelry store, remained in the vicinity of the jewelry store around the time of the robbery, and then returned to New Jersey, police said.
The Williams phone was later found on West 47th Street and Sixth Avenue, in New York City’s “Diamond District,” according to authorities.
Around 3:25 p.m., data from the cell phone’s location revealed that the Williams phone had left the Diamond District and was heading back towards New Jersey.
Around 4:45 p.m., information about the cell phone location revealed the Wilson phone in the vicinity of an address in Newark, around the same time the Williams phone was there.
Authorities later seized Wilson’s phone, which contained photos of Wilson and Williams holding large amounts of cash. Wilson’s phone also showed that he had read many articles on the heist in Hartsdale, according to authorities.
Following the heist, law officers conducted surveillance at the Williams and Wilson residence on at least three occasions, eventually searching it before making the arrests.
The United States Attorney’s Office provided no information regarding the remaining two suspects.
